Monday, November 27, 2006

Kindly Mr. Franklin

Rob and I were driving near work the other day (we both work on the Microsoft campus in the Seattle suburb of Redmond, Washington), and spotted a Ben Franklin. We didn't go in, but I was kind of shocked that these stores still existed.

There was one of these in downtown White Bear Lake, where my folks live, and also I seem to remember one on the way to our farm in rural Wisconsin -- it was the equivalent of the town general store, the shopping mall, the Target when none of those stores existed in that area. My mom used to call them "dime stores," as in, "they'll have it at the dime store." What didn't we buy there? I seem to remember getting Easter egg dye, Halloween costumes, coloring books, swim suits and more.

The Wikipedia entry had some fascinating facts I didn't know, however, including that Ben Franklins were originally called Butler Brothers, and Wal-Mart overlord Sam Walton owned a bunch of them.

Here's their current company site, in case you want to see if any of the remaining stores are near you. Looks like the one I saw in Redmond was a Ben Franklin craft store as opposed to a variety store.

2 comments:

We've got 'em around these parts, one just a block or two from my office. Mostly crafts stuff, but a fantastic framing section and the penny-candy (well, "penny" candy) selection can't be beat. Notions, snacks, greeting cards...heck, you could probably live pretty well if it was the only place left to shop, and it's certainly handy to have around when you need the odd knick-knack.

Quick Linker

About Me

I'm an entertainment editor at MSNBC.com, and have maintained Pop Culture Junk Mail since August, 1999. The New York Times called the site "one of the best places to explore pop culture online," and Entertainment Weekly included it on their Top 100 Web Sites list. If you like weird food, strange products, and 1970s and 1980s nostalgia, PCJM is your home away from home.